It’s a right thing to do when we give honor to those who truly deserve it. The Dutchman Louis van Gaal doesn’t quite believe in that. Or maybe, he hates to do that in public.
We all know how hard Louis van Gaal’s job was as Manchester United’s manager, few days before Marcus Rashford came to his rescue by scoring a brace against FC Midtjylland. Commendably, the youngster with a promising talent scored twice again as Arsenal lost 3-2 to the Red Devils.
But the coach seem to be withholding his testimony for a time in the future without considering what motivation it could be in favor of the budding talent.
There has been serious speculations in the media about Jose Mourinho taking over reigns from him though that has quietened a bit – thanks to Marcus’ brilliance on the pitch. His soccer prowess is part of – if not exactly – what saved the Dutchman his job.
Yet, while celebrating with the new found magician and the victory that came with him, LVG has refused to accept the fact that he could have been sacked without those important goals from Rashford.
Instead, he has diplomatically turned the table around in his selfish favor claiming that the fans should thank him as a manager for giving the 18-year-old star a chance to prove his worth.
The Europa League clash against FC Midtjylland was a do-or-die match. Failure to secure a win in that match would have seen him relieved of his managerial duties at the club.
As he heaved a sigh of relief, it was wrong not to give a direct honor to Marcus Rashford. There is no amount of recognition given to the promising star that will be distracting.
Louis Van Gaal said: “(The young players) want to prove and they want to show to the world, to the manager, to everybody, that they are the best, so they always give spirit to a team”.
The Dutchman went on to say: “That is why we have decided not to invest in January and I have said that already two months ago, but you don’t want to believe it. The policy is to have a small selection and then you can give youngsters a chance.
“Now I have read that Rashford is saving me. No, no, Rashford is thanks to my policy, and the club, of course, (and he) has proved that.
Van Gaal took took it to a more poetic level when he added:
“But they have to prove it because it is very risky to do that. Youngsters are not consistent, we are talking about consistency.
“There are of course exceptions like Martial, but that is a big exception.
“Most of the players cannot show that every week, so it is a big risk, but, at the end, we are in three competitions still and the team has more spirit and the older players are coming back.
Your defense LVG is well calculated but may we ask you if teams like Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool or Chelsea doesn’t have better team spirit?
If all that is needed for clubs and players to win matches is team spirit, wasn’t there the same spirit while Man U was loosing games before now?
Oh, maybe Marcus had the blessings of a ‘holy spirit’ before the substitution. Just maybe. No one saw anybody speaking in tongues on the bench.
How many young players recorded such huge success in their debut games and kept the fire glowing – 1, 2 matches and counting? Is there any magic that makes young players win matches single-handedly?
Team spirit and individual brilliance go hand-in-hand, yes. We cannot promote one and leave the other behind. Hope you get things right this time, dear Louis Van Gaal.
Did Cristiano Ronaldo not get special treatment from the same club many years ago? And was it not the same recognition that saw him explode to stardom? Doesn’t even the world best players still crave for recognition and applause?
We all know you have a big ego, LVG. Rivaldo the talented Brazilian left Barcelona because of you. After you left, Franck Ribery said that he never had less fun while you were at Bayern Munich. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, at Ajax, said you don’t know how to accommodate individual genius in your rigid plans. There’s a lot going on at Man U dressing room the world doesn’t know yet. We pray you won’t be a dreaded nemesis for Marcus Rashford, too.
Manchester United fans cried when Paul Pogba was mistreated and he left for Juventus only to be rediscovered. Learn your lesson, catch them young and recognize them without mincing words, dear Louis Van Gaal.
We can never underplay the fact that Marcus Rashford saved your job. Swallow your pride and give honor to whom it is due. It will never be too much. The world is watching.
